Preds starting to find their groove

ST. LOUIS I got the sense following the Predators’ 3-1 victory over St. Louis on Thursday that the confidence of this team is really growing. That’s what happens when you start stringing good performances together, as the Preds have done of late.

They’re 5-2 in their last seven games, have only been shut out once during that stretch – no small feat, considering they were blanked three times in their first 10 games – and have held their opponents to just 15 goals in that span.

Granted, the Preds were only 2-2 during their now-completed four-game road trip, but they deserved at least a point in San Jose on Tuesday after going toe-to-toe with the Sharks for 60 minutes.

In fact, the Preds were only shaky during one period of this four-game swing, and that occurred late in the 4-0 loss to Anaheim that began this journey many, many days ago.

There’s little doubt that getting healthy has something to do with the Preds’ improved play of late. With J.P. Dumont’s return to the lineup on Thursday, everyone except Colin Wilson is now off the injured list.

The Predators still aren’t getting enough offensive production from big-money players like Jason Arnott, Steve Sullivan, David Legwand and Martin Erat. But they are finding ways to win more often than not, thanks to the offensive contributions of players like Patric Hornqvist, Joel Ward and a number of opportunistic defensemen.

Predators Coach Barry Trotz seemed to be feeling the same vibe of improvement regarding his team afterward, as he talked about the challenge of beating the Blues.

“They’ve got a good hockey team,’’ Trotz said, pausing for just a second before saying: “We think we’re a pretty good hockey team, too.’’